Alnwick company takes on three of region’s graduates

Ben O’Connell

Alnwick-based Arcinova has strengthened its bioanalysis team with the addition of three new graduates.

Polly Wight, Liam Burns and Jenny Baker have joined the research and development organisation, which is headquartered in the town, and will be responsible for supporting the team across a range of services, including sample preparation, analysis, auditing and reporting.

Polly Wight, from Berwick, has joined following graduation from Newcastle University, where she studied pharmacology, while Liam Burns, from Ashington, holds an MSc in applied chemistry from Northumbria University. Jenny Baker, from Whitley Bay, is a graduate of the University of Hull, where she studied marine and freshwater biology.

Speaking about his new role, Liam said: “This represents a fantastic opportunity for me to progress my career. Arcinova has the capabilities and facilities of a large company, but combines this with a really friendly, personal approach, which is very refreshing.”

Polly added: “Throughout my university career, I was interested in working in drug development and the pharmaceutical industry. It’s therefore fantastic to have a company like Arcinova here in North-East England, which is helping graduates to launch their careers.”

Arcinova provides both end-to-end solutions and standalone services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

“We have seen significant additional demand for our services over the last year, partly as a consequence of the increasing trend among pharma companies to outsource their bioanalytical services. By strengthening our bioanalytical team we are able to both meet existing client demands and build a solid foundation for future growth in this area.”

Managing director Ian Shott added: “Arcinova already benefits from having a strong core of world-class scientists with extensive industry knowledge, but we are also committed to attracting and nurturing new scientific talent – as well as a helping to retain exceptional graduates within the North East.

“We look forward to seeing Polly, Liam and James grow with us as Arcinova continues its development – it’s fantastic to have them on board.”